PINKPIGFLYER: Rich's Pink Pig Flyer

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Rich's Pink Pig Flyer

4 comments:

AnonymousOctober 3, 2011 at 6:33 PM
In 1976 and 1977 I was one of the lucky ones hired
as seasonal help to operate the Pink Pig , we wore
jump suites with the Pink Pig logo. We gave out the little stickers to kids when they would exit.
When I was the operator the track was on the roof
in the shadow of the Great Tree. I could be wrong
but I think there were only 6 of us each season that operated the pig. One season we even had a
small animal zoo of sorts up there, mostly ducks
in a small pond, it didn't last long. I was 16
& 17 years old when I ran the pigs , now 51 but with great memories of my seasons as operator of the Pink Pig. J.D.Head
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Next Stop...DecaturOctober 3, 2011 at 7:37 PM
Thanks for posting about the pink pig.
It was cool going around the ceiling over the toy department, I wish I could find a picture of that.
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aurbieApril 17, 2012 at 6:49 PM
Well, that brings back memories. I can say one thing for the Internet: you can go home again! Thank you.

If anyone has any photos of Lefty's BBQ, way back in the 50's, please share.
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UnknownDecember 4, 2019 at 5:09 PM
Loved riding the pink pig when it was on the ceiling of Rich's, riding with my kids when it was on the roof and riding with my granddaughter at Lenox. I didn't know there were other monorails around the country. Wish I could go back and visit all those old great department stores!
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Ride The Pink Pig Flyer through Rich's Wonderland of Toys.
All Aboard ! The Pink Pig Flyer is taking off for a magic ride through "Toys Alive"... 14 fascinating moving scenes from your favorite story book...There's The Cow That Jumped Over the Moon... Humpty Dumpty... Little Jack Horner... Little Ride Riding Hood... Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater !
Lights are twinkling ! Bright colored disc fly overhead...
And down below is the South's most fabulous collection of toys !
Bigger and more exciting than any other !
Come see all The Wonder of Christmas in Rich's Wonderland of Toys.
Plaza Floor,Store for Homes. Downtown only !

THE PINK PIG FLYER

The Pink Pig was an amusement park ride of sorts that was a miniature suspended monorail sized for children. Adults would be hard-pressed to fit inside the enclosed cars that the children sat in as the ride operated. The original ride "flew" from the ceiling of the toy department. The pig was then moved outside the building to a rooftop Christmas village that surrounded the Great Tree. The Pink Pig started outside under the tree, returned indoors to fly over the toy department before returning to its starting point. The original Pink Pig was named Priscilla. A second pig, named Percival was later added to meet the high demand to ride the pig. After completing their journey, riders received a sticker that said "I rode the Pink Pig".

The ride moved to the Festival of Trees in the 1990s, and resided at the Atlanta History Center. The ride was brought back to Rich's in 2004 when it reappeared at the Rich's at Lenox Square mall, the new location for the Great Tree. The new version of the Pink Pig is a conventional train ride with a miniature pink pig locomotive pulling a set of pink child-sized passenger cars at ground level, instead of the original suspended monorail design. It has been speculated that the original monorail was retired because it could not be maintained as a viable and safe children's ride.
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_Pig